As of this writing, I have not yet seen Avengers: Age of Ultron, although that will likely have changed by the time you read this.
In any case, I doubt I will then know more about the movie than I know now. Ive been following the production online for years, and I knew all the major plot points well ahead of time. So Im going to share one of Age of Ultrons most intriguing spoilers with you.
Its one that hasnt gotten a lot of attention, but from my perspective, its perhaps the most remarkable twist in the entire movie.
Spoiler alert! Back out now if you dont want to know.
Still here? All right, fine. Dont say I didnt warn you.
The rumors say that Jeremy Renner, the actor who plays super-archer Hawkeye in the Marvel cinematic universe, was disappointed by the way his character was neglected in the first Avengers movie. Hawkeye, aka Clint Barton, spent most of his time in the 2012 original film under Lokis mind control, so he didnt get around to avenging anything until the last 15 minutes.
But Hawkeye has a lot more to do this time. Reviewers of all stripes have noted that Hawkeyes character arc in this movie is perhaps the most richly developed of all his super-powered teammates, but none of them are willing to spill the beans as to how that happened.
But I did some digging, and now I know. And in a sentence or two, youll know, too. So Im giving you a second chance to check out.
All right, if youre still with me, then enough with the teasing. Heres the big news: Hawkeye has a family.
What? Not earth-shattering enough for you? Perhaps you were expecting him to be an alien or a double agent or a horse whisperer. So he has a family. Big deal. Doesnt everybody have a family?
Well, no, they dont. Not in the movies. Or, at least, not in this kind of movie.
There have been 23 official James Bond films, but its only in the most recent one, Skyfall, that they finally gave this enduring super spy any kind of significant family back story at all. Yes, he got married in the 1969 film On Her Majestys Secret Service, but his wife was murdered right before the credits began to roll.
Captain Kirk went through 79 TV episodes all alone before they retroactively grafted a family onto him in the 1982 episode "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and they went ahead and killed his only son in the next movie to free him up from any extraneous family baggage. The minute folks like Batman or Jason Bourne start to get domestic, their significant others usually meet a similar fate and for similar reasons.
Most action heroes in the big blockbusters are loners, rebels with or without a cause, who are too busy saving the world and/or galaxy to settle down with a wife and children.
But in Age of Ultron, we discover that Clint Barton is happily married, with a wife, two children and one on the way. They all live in a charming rural ranch house with a white picket fence. Other than the fact that he pals around with Norse gods and gamma-irradiated green monsters, Hawkeye is really just a regular guy.
Thats a refreshing change of pace. I think the world needs more regular guys. Which is why its more than a little bit sad that a father with a stable family life is considered to be such an oddity in pop culture entertainment that his presence in a movie like Age of Ultron qualifies as a plot twist.
Also, the Hulks really Bruce Wayne. (No, Im just joking. Or am I? What a plot twist!)
In any case, I doubt I will then know more about the movie than I know now. Ive been following the production online for years, and I knew all the major plot points well ahead of time. So Im going to share one of Age of Ultrons most intriguing spoilers with you.
Its one that hasnt gotten a lot of attention, but from my perspective, its perhaps the most remarkable twist in the entire movie.
Spoiler alert! Back out now if you dont want to know.
Still here? All right, fine. Dont say I didnt warn you.
The rumors say that Jeremy Renner, the actor who plays super-archer Hawkeye in the Marvel cinematic universe, was disappointed by the way his character was neglected in the first Avengers movie. Hawkeye, aka Clint Barton, spent most of his time in the 2012 original film under Lokis mind control, so he didnt get around to avenging anything until the last 15 minutes.
But Hawkeye has a lot more to do this time. Reviewers of all stripes have noted that Hawkeyes character arc in this movie is perhaps the most richly developed of all his super-powered teammates, but none of them are willing to spill the beans as to how that happened.
But I did some digging, and now I know. And in a sentence or two, youll know, too. So Im giving you a second chance to check out.
All right, if youre still with me, then enough with the teasing. Heres the big news: Hawkeye has a family.
What? Not earth-shattering enough for you? Perhaps you were expecting him to be an alien or a double agent or a horse whisperer. So he has a family. Big deal. Doesnt everybody have a family?
Well, no, they dont. Not in the movies. Or, at least, not in this kind of movie.
There have been 23 official James Bond films, but its only in the most recent one, Skyfall, that they finally gave this enduring super spy any kind of significant family back story at all. Yes, he got married in the 1969 film On Her Majestys Secret Service, but his wife was murdered right before the credits began to roll.
Captain Kirk went through 79 TV episodes all alone before they retroactively grafted a family onto him in the 1982 episode "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and they went ahead and killed his only son in the next movie to free him up from any extraneous family baggage. The minute folks like Batman or Jason Bourne start to get domestic, their significant others usually meet a similar fate and for similar reasons.
Most action heroes in the big blockbusters are loners, rebels with or without a cause, who are too busy saving the world and/or galaxy to settle down with a wife and children.
But in Age of Ultron, we discover that Clint Barton is happily married, with a wife, two children and one on the way. They all live in a charming rural ranch house with a white picket fence. Other than the fact that he pals around with Norse gods and gamma-irradiated green monsters, Hawkeye is really just a regular guy.
Thats a refreshing change of pace. I think the world needs more regular guys. Which is why its more than a little bit sad that a father with a stable family life is considered to be such an oddity in pop culture entertainment that his presence in a movie like Age of Ultron qualifies as a plot twist.
Also, the Hulks really Bruce Wayne. (No, Im just joking. Or am I? What a plot twist!)
